circle includes a solid black business and professional network. His closest advisers include heads of the world’s largest corporations; be 100s CEOs; progressive politicians; and powerful professionals, including attorneys he has known since his days at Harvard Law School.
Within a week of the election, pundits assessed how Obama would lead and the type of president he would become. The only thing that is certain is his administration will be like no other before him and our country and this world will be forever changed.
Barack Obama’s Agenda
The president-elect has already had to focus on financial and foreign policy issues–and he’s not even sworn in yet. The following are Obama’s top priorities:
- The economy The state of the U.S. economy is priority No. 1. Obama has put together a solid economic team, which includes former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, über-investor Warren Buffet, and Time Warner Chairman Richard Parsons. His team will advise him on tackling the financial crisis, bolstering the banking and auto industries, and developing a stimulus package.
- Foreign policy Obama must manage two costly wars. He must move forward with his campaign promise to begin the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. At the same time, he will have to contend with other foreign powers; Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appears to already be challenging the president-elect by threatening to deploy short-range missiles near Poland’s border.
- Healthcare A major plank of his platform, Obama will seek to make healthcare more accessible and affordable. The centerpiece of his plan is to enable small businesses and individuals to gain the same comprehensive coverage that members of Congress receive under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
- Energy During the campaign, Obama indicated that energy would require his immediate attention. He plans to give Americans relief through emergency energy rebates and by pushing his $150 billion clean technology program, which he says will create 5 million jobs over the next 10 years.